Protecting The People’s Property with the Constitution

November 12, 2010

“No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.” These are the words of the Third Amendment of the Bill of Rights, the problem is that America only wages war outside of the United States. The only exception had brother fighting against brother and the Constitution was thrown out.

“During the second Civil War, both the Northern Union Arms and the Southern Rebellion, quartered their Soldiers in enemy homes against the owners will,” according to famed author of American historic novels, Richard Brookshiser. The author gets his information from intensive research of family journals, interviews of regional historians. What does mean to us? Was are Constitution abandoned in the mid 1800’s? By know means. However, the circumstances required the third Amendment to be ignored.

These circumstances where created by the troops being deep behind enemy lines. The survival of the unit and successful completion of the objective was what was important. Similar event happened during the first civil war, which inspired the First Continental Congress to attempt to protect the American people with the Third Amendment. Not one of them cold have foreseen the nature of Man turning against their brothers. Although may be they should have.

You see while their intentions were pure, our Founding Fathers may have assumed to much, for a Man’s drive to survive will always over power the words written on a piece of animal skin. Aristotle said it best, “Man will always do that which he thinks good”(Politics). So while the idea of the Third Amendment look great on paper: however, the truth comes to lite when the power is lit. While I am sure that our Officers will do all that they can to avoid imposing on a home owner. The fact is his primary responsibility is to the safety of his unit.

On the same note, our Founding Fathers did what they thought to be in our best interest. Both the third and Fourth Amendment is based on the Biblical Commandment of, “Thou shall not steel.” If you have not figured it out yet, the law says that a Soldier should pay for his food and board. If the Soldier forces his way in buy intimidation the Soldier has violated the owner’s Constitutional Rights.

The Fourth Amendment is one of the most commonly violated by authorities in modern America. The main reason this happens, I believe is because the person being violated is not aware of his or her Constitutional Rights. The Fourth Amendment reads as fallows:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

In the summer of 2010 in Vancouver Washington, a young woman had her Fourth Amendment rights violated. She claimed to have been the victim of an unprovoked attack. The Sheriff’s Office had only her word to go on and she told them that she was the only other person in the park at the time of the attack. With no evidence to disprove her story the Sheriff got an illegal Warrant to search the woman’s place. The admitted to seizing several artifacts that had nothing to do with the case. This and many other events across the country illustrate a definite need to reform our Government from the ground up.